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I don't know if anyone watched a program called Grand Designs on Wednesday 14th March but if you did you will know that it was about a couple that purchased an old Thames lighter to convert into a houseboat.
The program was very interesting for me to watch because I could see them making one mistake after another, I almost found myself wanting to shout at them through the television!
Well, I thought I would talk about some of the mistakes they made so anyone that is starting or thinking of starting a project like this can be more aware of potential problems.
Now, this couple had a buget of around £50,000 to complete the houseboat project. They were eco-friendly and had decided that they wanted to build the houseboat completely of scrap and secondhand materials. This would also keep the cost down.
The Thames Lighter was moored at the boat builder’s yard ready for the start of the project.
The first mistake was the fact they had not found a permanent residential mooring for the boat before starting the project. As we know moorings are difficult to find and when the builder has finished the job he will want the boat moved so he can start on his next job. Having no mooring will be a problem at this point.
The next mistake was that they did not have a proper contract with the boat builder. The owners would give the builder some money and when it had run out would give him more.
The reason given by the owners was because they were not going to have any formal plan or design and take the project forward based on what they wanted and what scrap and materials are available.
The owners came up with a design for the superstructure that was very unusal and very high! The houseboat was going to look very different to a normal one which could cause problems getting a mooring.
Work started on the superstructure with the steel frame being built and the cladding was going to be some aluminum curved sheets of scrap.
The next mistake they made was deciding to use scrap and secondhand materials. The problem is you can never guarantee it’s available in the quantities you need. Of course, they ran out and found it difficult to find more of the cladding. Fortunately more cladding was found but at a cost of time, travel and money.
The owners found some secondhand windows and had them delivered to the site. Again as no plan or design was in place the windows were to large and the boat builder had to cut the structural steel frame to get the windows to fit. More time and more money spent.
As you can image with no plan the boat builder could not keep up with the amount of changes and the owners were getting tight on money. The relationship broke down and the boat builder pulled out of the project.
Fortunately, the boat builder allowed the owners to keep the boat on the mooring and the owner employed two unskilled guys to continue with the work.
Another mistake made here was using unskilled labor on a project of this size. Work continued very slowly costing more money and final the owners realized their mistake and brought in a new skilled boat builder.
The new boat builder had much to put right after the unskilled labor had left but he also made one mistake that would change everything.
The boat builder moved the boat and someone else’s boat on the mooring without the permission of the boatyard owner. This really is not acceptable so make sure you never do this yourself. If something happens you will be liable, a big risk to take.
Because of this the boatyard owner asked them to leave the mooring and the boat was still not finished.
The owners had to tow the boat to a new temporary mooring where the boat could be completed.
By now the project was over budget and the owners decided to cut down on the fitting out of the interior to save money.
Whilst the boat builder continued working the owners went out to look for a permanent residential mooring.
Now here's the kicker, because the houseboat looked so unusual with its high superstructure, strange cladding and ugly windows many residential mooring owners turned them down for a mooring. Nothing like making it difficult for yourself!
You can do some great conversations but make sure your boat still looks like a boat.
The owners did finally find a residential mooring but to get the boat on the mooring required a very high spring tide and they would have about half an hour to get the boat in or be stranded in the River for 3 months before the next spring tide!
A hired tug boat got them onto their new mooring OK and the owners moved aboard the boat with no heating, plumbing or electrics but made the best of it.
So as you can see they made some mistakes along the way, spent around £80,000 and the boat was still not finished.
Not content with that they made one final mistake. They did not protect the boat from the poonton mooring and the boat badly damaged the pontoon. Because of this the owners were evicted from the mooring and a court case brought between the two parties. The lesson here is always secure your boat and protect your boat and the mooring with fenders. It’s your responsibility as the owner of your boat.
The program ended at this point with the court case pending and the owners looking for another mooring. The owners were evicted from the mooring so could not live on the boat so had to find other accommodation. The owners were confident they would find another mooring and get the boat finished and I am sure they will.
The lessons they learned along the way were valuable ones if not expensive ones.
If you are embarking on a similar project then make sure you have a solid plan for completing it on time and within budget.
To recap on some of the points.
1. Always locate and secure your residential mooring before starting your project.
2. Have a design plan and a contract with your boat builder.
3. Make sure materials can be sourced easily in the quantities you need.
4. Use skilled labor for a large conversion project.
5. Never move other people’s boats without their permission or the permission of the mooring owner.
6. Try not to make your boat look to wildly different or you may have problems finding a mooring.
7. Always protect your boat and the mooring from damage with fenders.
I hope you have found this interesting and you do not make the same mistakes.
If you have any comments please do comment below as I am always interested in what people think.
Photo: Grand Designs
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